Firearm Injuries578

7/25/2019 Firearm Injuries578

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Forensic Medicine

Firearm Injuries


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Terminology


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Types of Firearm

1. Shotguns

2. Rifled Weapons


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Shotguns

- The smooth-bore weapon

- They usually fire a large number of small

spherical lead shot.

- A shot gun is designed for use up to 3 ! " m.

- #ommon si$es 1%mm& 11mm.


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Shotguns


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Ried Weapons

- 't differs from the shotgun(

1) They fire one pro*ectile at a time.

2) There barrel has a spiral groo+e ,bore).

3) ost of them ha+e a mechanism for bringing a

new round into the breech


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Ried Weapons

/amples(

-- Automatic 0istol( self-loading weapon& where

shells are put into firing position by a gas operated

deli+ery system.


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- The ammunition comes in many si$es.

- 'ts a closed metal cylinder carrying firing cap

a powder.

Ried Weapons


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Mechanism of Injury- As missiles tra+erse the body it causes in*ury by

transferring some energy

- Se+erity of damage is proportional to amount of

inetic energy the density of the in+ol+ed tissue

- 4 5 6 7 892


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Entrance Wounds

1. Shotguns(

- The mass of shot lea+es the weapon initially as a

solid mass& which progressi+ely di+erges from

the weapon.

Contact Wounds (touching the skin)

- When a weapon is fired& the bullet& hot gases

from e/ploding gun powder metal fragments

from the bullet the gun barrel are propelled outof the mu$$le at the same time.

- The hot gases metal fragments are blasted into

the body at the same time as bullet.


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Contact Woundscont.-Round or o+al central defect with an :abrasion collarThe si$e of the defect is comparable to the si$e of the

mu$$le opening or bore of the weapon.

- ;0inun powder blacening of the wound edges

surrounding sin

-#ircular bruise o+er the sin due to mu$$le impact.


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Contact Wounds cont.Summery

-Wounds are circular

-There may be mu$$le mar

-There may be a slight local burning to the sin hair

-Redness from #? gases


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Contact Woundscont.

Muzzle

imprint

@urning

from the

powder


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ear !ischarge

- Within few cm of surface-arge central defect with :stippling or :tattooing

, small& dry& reddish abrasions caused by unburned

powder small metal fragments striing the sin)

-Smoe soiling

-ac of mu$$le martattooing

'ntermediate Range


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Intermediate Range

-Within 2 cm to 1 m.

-Biminishing of the smoe soiling but powder

tattooing persist

-@urning will be present

-The rim of the wound is irregular forming what is

called :rat-hole.


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Intermediate Range


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"ong Range #$%&m'

-Satellite pellet holes will be seen around thecentral wound& which diminishes in si$e as the

range increases.

-the spread of shot in centimeters eCual two to

three times the range in meters.

e.g. if the wound pattern is 2 cm across the

discharge was roughly D ! 1 m so couldnt be a

suicide.


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"ong Range# $( ) &( m'

-Abrasion collar

-Eo smoe soiling& burning or powder tattooing.

-Tissue displacement.

-Rarely fatal.


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!i*erences +et,eenshotgun - ries in entrance

,oundRifled weapons(

- increased tissue destruction due to the high +elocities

-Fsually ha+e an entrance and e/it wound

-stimation of firing range is more difficult than with

shotgun weapons& but in general & contact wounds show

similar features of powder stippling& blacening&

burning& tissue disruption& carbo/yhaemoglobinformation.


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Eit ,ound

-Shotguns( Rarely produce e/it wound because they

tra+erse the body.

-Rifled weapons(

--/it wound is usually e+erted with split flaps.

--Eo burning& smoe or powder soiling.


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/it wound

ntrance Wound

/it Wound

with split flaps


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/it wound


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Accident& Suicide& or

urder-Suicides must show wounds which range within thearms reach.

-Suicides shoot themsel+es in sites of election& which

include the mouth& the front of the nec& the forehead&

or the front of the chest.

-Bischarge into the entrance wound are usually on the

side of the dominant hand& but this is not absolute.

-0eople almost ne+er shot themsel+es in the eye or

abdomen naturally not in inaccessible sites such as

the bac.

-Women rarely commit suicide with guns rarely

in+ol+ed in firearm accidents.


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Accident& Suicide& or

urder-:A shot woman is a murdered woman until pro+edotherwise.

-ultiple firearm wounds suggest homicide

-'n suicide weapon must be present& though it may be

at a distance from the body.


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Boctors duty in firearm

in*uries deaths

-All e+idence carefully preser+ed for the police.

-The sin in post-mortem e/amination around

the entrance wound should be remo+ed ept

without formalin& for forensic tests for powderresidue.


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Thank You

Firearm Injuries578

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